JERUSALEM -- Israel's Labor party voted Sunday to join the incoming government headed by archrival Benjamin Netanyahu, despite repeated campaign promises to never sit with a prime minister facing criminal indictments.
The once-mighty left-wing party dominated Israeli politics for the country's first three decades, but has since fallen to a historic low of three seats in the 120-member parliament. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud is the largest faction, with 36.
About 3,800 members of Labor's central committee were eligible to vote electronically on party leader Amir Peretz's proposal to join the unity government headed by Netanyahu and his main political adversary, Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White party. Israeli media said the measure passed by a roughly 60-40 margin.
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After three deadlocked national elections in just over a year, Gantz and Netanyahu agreed this month to form what they called an emergency government to address the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.
As part of their deal, Netanyahu and Gantz agreed to share the premiership, with Netanyahu serving as prime minister the first 18 months and Gantz serving the next 18 months.
Gantz, however, has come under heavy criticism for giving a lifeline to Netanyahu and abandoning his promises never to sit in a government with an indicted prime minister. Netanyahu is scheduled to face trial next month on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. He denies the charges.
Under the coalition deal, Labor would receive two government ministries.
One of those potential ministers, Itzik Shmuli, said on Twitter that entering the government was the right thing to do and would allow the party to promote its social agenda and to "put the brakes" on any attempts to undermine democracy.
But critics have noted that Labor could now become an accessory to dismantling the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians.
ANNEXATION PLANS
Meanwhile, Netanyahu on Sunday said he was "confident" he will be able to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank this summer, with support from the U.S.
Speaking to an online gathering of evangelical Christian supporters of Israel, Netanyahu said President Donald Trump's Mideast plan envisions turning over Israel's dozens of settlements, as well as the strategic Jordan Valley, to Israeli control.
"A couple of months from now, I'm confident that that pledge will be honored, that we will be able to celebrate another historic moment in the history of Zionism," Netanyahu said.
Israeli annexation of West Bank territory would be highly controversial, drawing widespread international condemnations and extinguishing any lingering hopes of establishing a viable independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The Palestinians, with wide international backing, seek the entire West Bank as part of an independent state. They have already threatened to cancel existing peace agreements if Netanyahu moves forward with his plan, while the European Union foreign policy chief said annexation would be a violation of international law and force the bloc to "act accordingly." The U.N.'s Mideast envoy said such a step would "ignite" the region.
But Netanyahu and his hard-line base are eager to move ahead while Trump remains in office. Annexation would be popular with Trump's evangelical base as he seeks to shore up support ahead of a difficult reelection battle.
In Washington, a U.S. official said the American position hasn't changed.
The official said the U.S. is "prepared to recognize Israeli actions to extend Israeli sovereignty" in parts of the West Bank, and that the U.S. is consulting closely with Israel on the timing and scope of those actions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, lacking authorization to discuss the matter with the media.
Information for this article was contributed by Ilan Ben Zion, Josef Federman and Matthew Lee of The Associated Press.
A Section on 04/27/2020